


Just a Distraction

by lovelyavengers (fandomsandxfiles)



Series: Jack Thompson Things [13]
Category: Agent Carter (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Not sure if this counts as meet-cute, Set during 2x06
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-12
Updated: 2020-08-12
Packaged: 2021-03-05 20:49:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,947
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25731640
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fandomsandxfiles/pseuds/lovelyavengers
Summary: It’s your job to make sure no one gets suspicious at the fundraiser gala.  But somehow you can’t seem to do that without falling in love.
Relationships: Jack Thompson (Marvel)/Reader
Series: Jack Thompson Things [13]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2120916
Kudos: 20





	Just a Distraction

**Author's Note:**

> This was an anonymous request I received on tumblr. It can also be found on my tumblr writing blog [@fandomsandxfiles-writes](https://fandomsandxfiles-writes.tumblr.com/).

Peggy and Daniel were lost for ideas. Or, more accurately, Daniel was vehemently vetoing Peggy's plan for getting the zero matter from Whitney Frost. "You're gonna do this?" 

"Yes." Peggy was adamant. 

"You, who can barely walk? You, who Whitney's tried to kill within the past 48 hours? You, who Whitney will see coming a mile away! Same as Jarvis, by the way," Daniel said. 

"Well, someone else then," Peggy said, shrugging her shoulders. 

"Who? Me? I'm not gonna fly as Jarvis' date."

"Rose, then," Peggy was grasping at straws. 

"She's on a flight home, her mother's sick." 

"And there's no one else you think could help us?" 

Daniel was silent for a few moments, then his eyes widened. "Wait, I actually might have an idea." 

"Really?" Peggy was a little surprised. 

"About two weeks before you showed up, I hired an agent, Agent Y/N L/N. She's been out of the office on an assignment checking out a complex of office buildings, undercover as a secretary, that's why you haven't met her," Daniel said. "This gala thing's at night though, and she would be able to get the sample." 

"And you trust her?" Peggy asked. "Completely?" 

Daniel nodded. "Yeah, she came with a recommendation letter from Howard Stark himself. Turns out their parents were friends and they grew up together." 

"Not that I don't trust Howard's judgement-" Peggy started to say. 

"Peggy, I know you, and you don't trust Howard's judgement," Daniel said. "Which is fair honestly, he did take a Russian spy to his super-secret weapons and planes vault on a date, which doesn't seem like a good idea even if he wasn't dating a spy."

"You're right, I don't trust Howard's judgement," Peggy said with a small smile. "He makes too many bad decisions." 

"But this isn't Howard's judgement, it's mine," Daniel said. "And we don't really have any other choice right now." 

Peggy sighed, knowing that he was right. "And you're sure she's trustworthy?"

"Yes Peggy, I'm sure." 

***

You didn't expect to get a call from the chief in the middle of the day, asking you to help them on yet another undercover mission. You were still fairly new to the SSR, and you weren't really needed in the office outside of sending in reports about whether or not the office you were undercover in was an actual threat or not. But that didn't matter, because you were now sitting on a chair in Howard's mansion, while Ana Jarvis rifled through her closet looking for something you could wear. 

You had basically given up all hope when you heard her shriek in excitement and sprint out of the room. A few moments later, she returned with a garment bag, unzipping it to reveal the most beautiful dress you had ever seen. "That's lovely," you managed to say, reaching out to touch the soft material. 

"Mr. Stark had bought it for you," she said. "It was going to be your birthday present, but I figured he wouldn't mind if you got it a little early if it was for a mission. Now, go put it on! We're running out of time to get you ready before the gala starts as it is!"

And so for the next few hours, you sat still in a chair while Ana flitted around you and helped you get ready. She was just putting the finishing touches on your makeup when the door opened and Jarvis walked in with a woman. "Miss L/N, this is Peggy Carter," Jarvis said. "Miss Carter, this is Y/N L/N."

"I know Jarvis," you said, smiling. "Howard talks about her all the time." 

"Really?" Peggy asked. 

You nodded. "He speaks very highly of you and your abilities Agent Carter." 

Peggy blushed slightly, and Jarvis got everyone back on track. "Ana, is she almost ready?" 

"I just finished now," she answered, smiling. 

'Wonderful!" Peggy said, opening the small box she was holding. "These are for you," she said, handing you a pair of beautiful diamond earrings. "They double as communication devices, so that myself and Chief Sousa can monitor the situation from a van outside. Mr. Jarvis has one as well," she added, gesturing to Jarvis, who was wearing a pair of black-rimmed glasses.

"Stylish," you said, smiling at him. 

"I think they are!" he said brightly. "I might have to keep them when this is all over."

***

The party was in full swing when you and Jarvis entered. He immediately led you to the dance floor and you started to waltz with the other couples. The communication device in your ear crackled to life. "Y/N, can you hear me?" Daniel asked. 

"Loud and clear Chief Sousa," you said. 

"I can hear you as well," Jarvis said as he gracefully spun you across the dance floor. 

"Lovely, have you seen Whitney Frost yet?" Peggy asked. 

You craned your head to look around the room. "Yes," you said. "She's campaigning with her husband."

Jarvis was looking around the room too, and you heard him gasp quietly before grabbing your hand and pulling you away from everyone and to the side. "What's going on?" Peggy asked. She must have heard Jarvis gasp. "Mr. Jarvis are you okay?"

"No, I am decidedly not okay. We seem to have hit a snag in the plan," he said, pulling you off the dance floor and away from the other people. "Chief Thompson has just arrived at the event." 

You didn't know who that was or why it was a problem, but Peggy did. "Thompson? Our Jack Thompson?" she asked, voice incredulous. 

"What the hell is he doing here?" Daniel wondered aloud. 

"He appears to be rubbing elbows with Miss Frost and Mr. Chadwick," Jarvis said, a surprised expression still on his face. 

"Can someone explain to me what is going on?" you asked. 

"Chief Thompson heads up the New York SSR," Jarvis said. "Although he can occasionally be helpful, he has done nothing but annoy Miss Carter and hinder the investigation since he arrived in Los Angeles."

"What is he even doing back here?" Daniel asked. "I thought he left when Peggy 'accidentally' missed her flight." 

"I guess he realized you didn't plan on returning to New York until the case is truly closed," Jarvis said. "Miss Carter I think we must abort this mission. Abort! Abort!" he added, whispering into his communication glasses. 

"Mr. Jarvis the clock is ticking for Dr. Wilkes," Peggy said sternly. "This is our only real, viable opportunity to acquire the sample from Whitney. You must find a way to complete your objective without being spotted by Thompson. Can you do that?" 

Jarvis paused, and several emotions crossed his face before responding. "Yes," he said, not sounding too confident. "Yes I can."

"Y/N, get the sample from Whitney as fast as you can without being detected," Peggy said. "We have to speed up the operation a little bit." 

You nodded and turned to Jarvis. "I see Whitney heading off towards the powder room. I'll get the sample, you just find somewhere to hide before I pass it off onto you." 

"Good idea Miss L/N," he answered. "I will make myself invisible." 

***

Getting the sample of Zero Matter from Whitney Frost proved easy, you caught her as she entered the powder room and acted like you accidentally stuck her with your broach. She offered you an obviously fake smile that didn't reach her eyes and you quickly left the restroom. Based on your five second interaction with her and what Peggy told you before you left, you weren't about to stick around for a chat. You found Jarvis hovering on the outskirts of the party and gave him the device. "Peggy, Jarvis has the sample," you said. "What do we do now?" 

"I need to leave as soon as possible Miss Carter," Jarvis said worriedly. "And bring the sample to you. I think Chief Thompson may have spotted me, but I don't know for sure." 

"He hasn't locked down the perimeter yet, so let's hope he didn't realize you were here," Daniel said. 

That's when you got an idea. "Peggy, is there anything else you need from here tonight?"

"I don't think so, why?" 

"We accomplished what we came here for, so if you guys get out of here before Thompson realizes that you're meddling, everything will be fine. I'll get a cab home." 

"Y/N, I'd rather not leave you there by yourself," Daniel said. "Whitney Frost is a lot more dangerous than she looks. 

"Wouldn't it be weirder though if I were to just disappear?" you asked. "I'll make up some story about being Howard Stark's Public Relations Manager, and everything will be fine. It's not like I don't know Howard to begin with, and I've been privy to many of his ridiculous antics." 

Peggy and Daniel eventually agreed and soon you were left alone at the gala. Getting yourself drink, you stood on the outskirts of the party and watched. You saw Thompson, who Jarvis had to avoid. He was also standing away from the crowd, a measured look on his face. He looked good in the tux he was wearing, and if you didn't know he was an SSR chief (which would technically make him your boss), you might have gone over and flirted a little. You couldn't deny he was attractive. 

You were so lost in thought about what you were going to do for the next hour or so that you didn't notice the very person you had to avoid make his way towards you. "Parties aren't your thing?" you heard him ask.

Oh well. Guess you could kiss anonymity goodbye. "Not really," you said, turning to face him. "Are they your thing?" 

"Not in the slightest," he said, giving you a small smile. "Guess we're both out of our element huh? I'm Jack Thompson," he added, sticking his hand out for you to shake. 

"Y/N L/N," you said as you shook his hand. 

"What brings you here then?" He was apparently not going to leave you alone. 

"Work actually," you said. You had to commit to the Public Relations lie completely, or he might suspect something. "What about you?" 

"Work," was his answer, neither of you wanting to give up too much information. "Anything you can tell me about?" 

"Mostly boring stuff," you said. "I work public relations for Howard Stark, so these events mostly just consist of Howard's contacts trying to set up lunch meetings." 

That piqued his interest. "Have you been working for Howard Stark long?" 

"Not that long, just since he moved to Los Angeles." 

"Is Stark here himself?" now you could tell he was needling you for information. 

"Not this time," you said. "I was here with his butler, who I'll drag to these events sometimes if Howard can't go, but he had to leave early." 

"I thought I saw Jarvis before," he said. "I met him last year, when your boss's inventions were stolen."

"Thank god I wasn't working for Howard then," you joked. "That seemed like a disaster." 

"It was," Jack said. The song changed and he smiled before offering his hand to you. "Would you care for a dance?" 

It was go big or go home at this point for you. "Of course," you said, allowing him to lead you to the dance floor. Internally, you were hoping with all your heart that Peggy, Daniel, and Jarvis got home safe with the sample and that you weren't doing all this for nothing. 

"Do you know Mr. Jarvis well?" he asked. 

"We're not best friends, but I like working with him," you said, trying to play coy. "Howard has invited me over for dinner a couple times. You know, you never told me where you work," you added flirtatiously, smiling at him. 

"I'm chief of the New York Strategic Scientific Reserve," he said proudly. "I know your boss and his butler because we were the agency that investigated the case last year." 

"Oh I've heard that name before," you said. "Working on anything interesting now?" 

"Not really," Jack said, spinning you across the dance floor. "I'm only in LA for this gala actually. But I'm sure you don't want to talk about work," he added, effectively changing the subject.

You giggled and allowed him to think he was in control of the situation. He didn't need to know that you knew a lot more than you were letting on. For the rest of the night, he didn't bring up his work or your work again. You continued to play the role of Howard Stark's airhead employee, giggling and smiling at his obvious flirtations. By the end of the night, the nagging voice in your head was starting to go away and was slowly being replaced by actual attraction towards the man. You were slipping down a dangerous slope. 

You and Jack didn't leave each other's side until the gala was over, where he walked you out and made sure you safely hailed a cab to bring you home. Taking an enormous risk right before you got in the backseat of the taxi, you stepped forward and pressed a quick kiss to his lips. He immediately kissed back, but it was over way too soon. You definitely shouldn't have done that, but what was the harm? You had a regular undercover mission that pulled you away from the SSR office, and he would be returning to New York to run his office, so it was more than possible that you would never see him again. He watched in silence as you smiled at him through the window, and kept watching until the cab was no longer in sight. 

***

When you got back to Howard's mansion, you found Peggy, Daniel, and Jarvis in the main sitting room. "Everything go alright?" Jarvis asked. "I expected you home a little while ago."

Carefully electing _not_ to tell them about who you spent a majority of your night with (and kissed outside the venue), you smiled and nodded. "Everything went fine, no suspicions were raised. I did have to say that I was Howard Stark's public relations manager though, so if anyone asks, that's why I was there. Oh, and Jarvis, you had to go home early." 

"Was he spotted?" Daniel asked. 

"Yeah, I spoke to the other SSR chief. Turns out he saw Jarvis, but he seemed to believe me when I told him that I just dragged Jarvis along because Howard was unavailable." 

"Did Jack seem overtly suspicious of you because you worked for Howard?" Peggy asked. 

"I don't think so," you said. "We only spoke for a few moments." _Big lie right there._

"Okay, it looks like we made it without any major hiccups," Daniel said, sighing in relief. "I might actually sleep tonight."

Once everything was all settled in regards to the mission, Peggy offered for you to stay in one of the many guest rooms that Howard had. You gracefully accepted, because it was late and you didn't feel like driving home. As you drifted off to sleep, you thought of Jack. Maybe one day, years after all of this is over with, you would see him again. And you could explain. Because despite the fact that you were just a distraction, you really did like him. 

***

Turns out, it wasn't years until you saw Jack again, it was about a week. You had been called in by Peggy to help build a rift generator that could supposedly remove the Zero Matter from Whitney Frost and send it back where it belonged. You were helping put together some of the parts in an SSR conference room when the door swung open. You didn't bother looking to see who it was until you heard him speak. "Okay look, I'm not a scientist. But I'm here to help." 

You dropped the metal piece you were holding in shock, and it clattered to the floor. You quickly bent down to pick it up, foolishly hoping no one noticed. "Y/N?" Jack said, voice incredulous. 

"It's uh, Agent L/N, actually," you said quietly. 

Everyone was silent as Jack stared you down before walking purposefully over to where you were standing, put both hands on your face, and tilted it upwards so he could kiss you. Jarvis' eyes widened in shock, Daniel nearly dropped what he was holding, and everyone else stood there in silence, not knowing what to do. When he finally let you go, you looked down at the ground in embarrassment, and Jack looked proud. "So," Peggy said, looking from you to Jack. "Either of you going to explain what that just was?" 

"At the gala," you said quietly. "When I said I spent a few moments with Jack, I wasn't exactly honest with you." 

"We can see that," Daniel said, a small smile on his face. 

"You're not mad?" 

"Why would I be mad at you?" Daniel said, his smile growing. "You did your job that night, allowing us to get what we needed without being detected. I am a little irked at you though," he said as he pointed at Jack. "Because you can't just walk up and start kissing my agents whenever you want to!" 

"Shut up Sousa!" Jack said, but he was smiling too. "You don't outrank me you know." 

"Keep your love life on your own time, okay? Because I don't pay her to kiss you." 

Jack rolled his eyes before taking your hand. "Alright," he finally said with a grin. "No more PDA. At least not on company time."

Daniel could only roll his eyes in response. 

_\- the end -_

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! 
> 
> Want to request your own Jack Thompson/Reader one shot?
> 
> You can find the link to the information post [here!](https://fandomsandxfiles-writes.tumblr.com/post/619198264196120576/fic-requests-as-of-right-now-im-taking-fic)


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